TNG Episode "the Wounded"

[Yassim]

I guess it's left ambiguous, but Picard's speech at the end seems to be the voice of the show. When Picard says, "Maxwell was right. There's only one reason for a ship to have such a field. We'll be watching.", I don't think viewers are meant to question that. I think it's intended factually.

An unarmed ship hiding the fact that it is *not* carrying illegal weapons strikes me as a questionable tactic.

 

[T'Cal]

I had never heard "The Minstril Boy" before and I was so moved by it in the episode. Now whenever I here it, it gives me chills, especially when played on bagpipes. I'm in law enforcement and everytime a drum and bagpipe team performs at a funeral or other event, they play this song and I'm deeply moved.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

T'Cal said:
I had never heard "The Minstril Boy" before and I was so moved by it in the episode. Now whenever I here it, it gives me chills, especially when played on bagpipes. I'm in law enforcement and everytime a drum and bagpipe team performs at a funeral or other event, they play this song and I'm deeply moved.

I thought it was somthing the writers came up with for the episode, so I googled it.
"The Minstral Boy"

...The song's first verse was sung by the character Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Wounded" (air date January 28, 1991). Its tune is heard on several occasions during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (usually in reference to Miles O'Brien). It plays in the final episode "What You Leave Behind" when O'Brien is looking at his empty quarters and recalls his life aboard Deep Space 9.

 

[Unicron]

Yep, I hadn't heard it before the ep either but it is well-known Irish melody. There's even a set of verses used during the American Civil War.

 

[Nebusj]

Timo said:
It is perfectly possible that the Cardassians would be bluffing; that Maxwell's earlier targets had been part of such a bluff as well, and that the science station he destroyed was full of unarmed scientists who just chose to use the "guess whether I'm armed or not" stratagem to their own peril.

It's just a guess that the science station which Maxwell murdered was cloaking its sensor output, by the way, an attempt to explain why Maxwell refused to show evidence which would have proven his case. Of course, if there was no sensor data to prove the science station was a secret military outpost, that doesn't resolve Maxwell's problem: if he had evidence that the science station he destroyed was a military outpost he would have that to show Picard, and he did not. Killing everyone on the station without evidence, then, he's a madman with an insatiable bloodlust.

I don't doubt that Picard came to the conclusion Maxwell was right. Maybe the script writers thought they had made a good case, and the number of people who unquestioningly accept that the Cardassians had to be up to something proves they did make something that felt convincing. But this all comes down to prejudice against the Cardassians; the physical evidence is the curious dog-barking in the night.

 

[Yassim]

Maxwell had evidence - what he didn't have was proof.

Maxwell and Picard argue (briefly) the validity of his evidence, but in Maxwell's mind, and eventually in Picard's, it's enough to establish that the Cardassians are massing for war.

I don't think anyone's interested in a point-by-point sifting of the evidence and the technobabble involved. I think we have to take the character's statements at face value - they differ on the significance of the events, not on the events (or on how to proceed, anyway).

It's not prejudice against the Cardassians that differentiates Picard and Maxwell. It's that Picard values honouring the treaty, even if the other side does not, and Picard believes in violence only as a last resort.

 

[Red Ranger]

People,

"The Wounded" is such an excellent and important episode. In it, we see foreshadowed how the Cardassians will wind up being such a thorn in the Federation's side, esp. as shown in DSN.

Other events/characters foreshadowed:

-O'Brien;
-Marc Alaimo as the quintessential Cardassian leader (first as Macet and later as Dukat);
-The Maquis -- I'm sure Ben Maxwell had a hand in it its founding; and
-Nebula-class starships and golden Cardassian warships.

I also enjoy the confrontation between two old soldiers -- Maxwell and O'Brien -- in his ready room. The sad tone when Maxwell says, "I'm not going to win this one, am I, Chief?" and O'Brien's rueful, "No, sir" underscores the ep.

BTW, the actor, Bob Gunton, is an accomplished hand who also played the crooked warden in "The Shawshank Redemption," just one of many memorable roles.

Red Ranger

 

[Anwar]

He also played the narrow-minded future commissioner in "Demolition Man" and the narrow-minded Dean in "Patch Adams".

Kind of nice that out of those roles he got to play a renegade against the system for once.

 

[nx1701g]

^ In Desperate Housewives he played a mobster that was Mike's former Father in Law. He was killed by his grandson.

 

[Kieran]

Bob Gunton knocked the ball out of the park with his portrayal of Captain Maxwell... as he usually does in any role he takes on.

While Ronny Cox was a great Jellico, Gunton might have even made a better one.

 

[nx1701g]

One of my favorite things is the homage to this episode in What You Leave Behind. During O'Brien's montage of memories the opening of In Minstrel Boy is played instrumental.

 

[Saxman1]

nx1701g said:
One of my favorite things is the homage to this episode in What You Leave Behind. During O'Brien's montage of memories the opening of In Minstrel Boy is played instrumental.

Yes, that was awesome. Just completed *SNIFF* my second complete go-round of DS9 in order on DVD and I'm missing it already!

I just started ENT. "Broken Bow" was very good except for the detox gel scene. "Fight Or Flight," the next ep, was OK - kinda rambling and boring but not totally worthless. Hosshi doesn't like being in space but comes to grips with it. Pflox rocks!

Oops...back to the discussion at hand. Sorry.

 

[siskokid888]

Easily one of the best TNG eps, and one of the best Trek Eps period. Colm Meany and Bob Gunton show their acting chops. I like how O'Brien, when talking to his wife and later to Picard, doesn't even realize his subconscious hatred of Cardassians. And Picard's final line "You tell your leaders...we'll be watching" showing the iron hand under Picard's velvet glove. Good TV drama and a great Trek ep.

 

[Corran Horn]

I like how the Cardassian is totally blown away that Starfleet can read their transponder codes.

In retrospect, maybe Picard shouldn't have let him know about that...

 

[Kieran]

siskokid888 said:
Picard's final line "You tell your leaders...we'll be watching" showing the iron hand under Picard's velvet glove.

Nicely said.

 

[Forbin]

Kieran said:

siskokid888 said:
Picard's final line "You tell your leaders...we'll be watching" showing the iron hand under Picard's velvet glove.

Nicely said.

Yes! That's the perfect way to put it!

 

[toughlittleship]

There's a nice homage to the episode in the Emissary novelization.

 

[SmoothieX]

Saxman1 said:
I just started ENT. "Broken Bow" was very good except for the detox gel scene.

Oh that's just the beginning. Wait until S3 when the softcore porn...er neuropressure sessions start.

 

[Saxman1]

SmoothieX said:

Saxman1 said:
I just started ENT. "Broken Bow" was very good except for the detox gel scene.

Oh that's just the beginning. Wait until S3 when the softcore porn...er neuropressure sessions start.

I remember that vaguely. Bleh - UPN at its "finest."

 

[RAMA]

Probably ranks even above William Windom as Decker as the best tragic captain story in ST history. A great drama with some neat brinksmanship that was SO good, it set the stage for future Trek.

RAMA